2007/9/6

Akiu Otaki Fudoson in Baba in Akiu-cho, Taihaku-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, is a temple of the Chizan school of the Shingon sect. It is located beside the Akiu Otaki Falls, a nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty. The temple was founded by the priest Jikaku in the early Heian period (794-1192) as the back temple of Risshakuji Temple, which he had founded in Yamadera in Yamagata City.

The Grand festival is held at the temple on April 28 to 29 every year. It features a variety of events including the Rice Planting Dance of Baba, the Deer Dance of Noguchi, and the Sword Dance of Takihara as well as the alpine rose festival and the sale and exhibit of wild plants.

The Rice Planting Dance of Baba is s folk performing art nationally designated as an Important Intangible Cultural Property. Girls from aged 8 to 15 dance elegantly, singing the counting rhyme which is said to have been handed down from the Heike refugees. The Deer Dance of Noguchi is a dynamic deer dance to drive away devils.